Sooraj Kumar had everything a man could want; a young wife, a dowry of gold, and a new car. And after a year of marriage, they had a beautiful baby boy...

There was just one thing spoiling his vision of a dream life - the woman he married...

So maybe he thought: In a state with so many snakes, what better way to get rid of someone...?

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Kriangkrai Techamong dreamed of a better life. He'd moved from Thailand to Saudi Arabia for better work, to provide for his family. But then temptation struck, he would never need to work again, never want for anything again...

He'd decided to steal from Saudi Arabia's royal family. The most powerful family in Saudi Arabia, and the richest family in the world. He's steal an estimated 20 million dollars worth of gems and jewelry from them.

He was eventually arrested, but many of the pieces and precious stones were never found - including a 50 carat blue diamond...

( Teddy's thoughts: take a shot everytime I say the word literally. Also I'm so sorry if I mispronounced anyone's names. Also please let me know if the audio is alright - I'm so sorry for the soft audio these past couple of weeks, I'm moving again and I've had to change my recording setup. I'm changing mics in the next couple of weeks, so fingers crossed everything is okay oof )

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Ng Yuk Tim had just turned fifteen. It was just two weeks after her birthday, and she was going to a friend's house to work on a cosplay project.

Her friend? Poon Wai Hong, a twenty-three year old man. She would never be seen again...

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On 5th May 1996, Megumi Yashiki and Narumi Takumi decided to visit the Tsubono Spa Hotel. It wasn't just a regular hotel, it had been abandoned almost a decade before. People called it a Shinrei Supotto, otherwise known as a psychic spot or a haunted place.

They drove from their home city of Himi to Uozo, where the hotel was located. They were never seen again...

What could have happened; could they have been kidnapped by the Yakuza or even North Korea? Or perhaps, was there something paranormal at play...?

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One by one, the people around her were dropped like flies. Her husbands, blinded, then burned, and finally buried. Her mother and her brothers, blinded as well. Her family home, set on fire, burnt to the ground...

It seemed that the misfortune grew every day. Everything was going wrong, except the money. Dollar by dollar, the insurance money collected in her bank account...

Was she just a beautiful, dedicated, self-sacrificing, wife and daughter? Or was she a stone cold psychopathic killer...?

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If you are a woman in Afghanistan, outside your home you cannot sing and you cannot speak. You cannot show your face, and you cannot study (beyond grade six). You cannot work and you cannot go to the salon, if there were any salons to go to (because they've been shut down). These are just a few of the many things that you cannot do.

In 2021, the Taliban captured Afghanistan. In the three years since their takeover, they've systemically erased women's rights and freedom - if you are a woman in Afghanistan, you cannot be seen and you cannot be heard. And if you are...

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In the shrine of Shah Dola, there is an unusual sight. Children with microcephaly linger around the temple. Pilgrims to the shrine give money to these children, hoping that it will help them gain favor...

But underneath, something darker lurks...

There is a rumour, a horrifying allegation - there are gangs, a begging mafia, kidnapping or buying healthy children. Then, they place iron bands, metal helmets around their heads to deform these children...

Could it be true or is this just terrible tale...?

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The Kingdom of Nepal was no more, and who was to blame? In one night, the royal family had been massacred. King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, the prince and princess. Nine members of the royal family had been murdered in cold blood.

Whispers slipped from ear to ear - did Crown Prince Dipendra really go mad, or had it been a plot, a scheme to take the throne?

Be my friend on Instagram: @abriefcasepodcast

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Akku Yadav was a weak, cowardly man and rape was his weapon of terror. It's said that he had over forty victims, with the youngest just ten years old. He was stabbed to death by a mob of anywhere between 200 to 400 women in a courtroom...

It is rumored that the women all took turns, passing the knife around. It is said that they sliced off his penis. As he died, he begged for mercy, he begged for forgiveness...

In fifteen minutes, it was over. The serial rapist, the murderer, Akku Yadav was nothing more than a bloody mess on the courtroom floor. His relatively quick death was surely more than he deserved...

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Even after they broke up, they would still meet. First as friends, then allegedly, as lovers. Even after Lim Lye Hock moved in with his girlfriend, even after he got married...

Tan Hui Ngin and Lim Lye Hock were from the same kampung, the same village. They had known each other for years. They had grown up together...

So why would Lye Hock run, and flee to Malaysia. Why would he leave Hui Ngin's battered decomposing body to be found days later in an abandoned chicken hatchery...?

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Rio the hammerhead, that's what they called him. Rio Alex Bulo would use two hammers, one in each hand, to bludgeon his victims to death.

The serial killer would leave a trail of victims in his wake. From Surabaya to Semarang, and finally in Purwokerto, Rio would be caught after a vicious attack in the Rosenda Hotel. The bloodstains spattered the walls and the ceilings...

But even his arrest would not stop his murderous urges, even in prison, Rio would kill a man many considered his friend...

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